The Old Winter Gardens

This is one of my favourite buildings along the coast of England –the old Winter Gardens on Great Yarmouth's Golden Mile. It's a building with a great history going back well over a hundred years. Originally, in 1878, it was built in Torquay along the south coast, but in 1903 it was re-erected in Norfolk where it has stood ever since, though sadly it had become very neglected and run-down when I took this picture. I have very fond memories of the place from the 1970s when it was known as the Biergarten and its inside was transformed into a kind of alpine landscape, complete with mock cabins and painted mountain landscapes along the walls. Our local town band used to perform summer concerts there, but in its time it has been used for all many of recreation -espcially teadances and pageants but also rollerskating and nightclubbing.Here though, it stands forlornly waiting to be fully appreciated and used again. Panes of glass are missing, the ironwork is rusting in places and the once gleaming white paint is faded and flaking off. A sad, buu beautiful spectacle. The great news, however, is that earlier this year funding from the UK's National Lottery was given to fully restore this wonderful and majestic Victorian structure and bring new life into its great space. And I for one, can't wait to visit it when it's finished...

Location: Great Yarmouth, England

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 18

Old quay

Here's a nice place to wait for a ferry, even if it takes an hour or two to arrive. There's a bench (orf sorts) to sit on, the scent of overhanging trees and dazzling blue water to behold. The building on the other side is an old Venetian fort, but this side has an even older historical footprint –a whole ancient city going back to long before Roman times. It is likely that in times past its inhabitants would have waited to cross the water here too. I like the sense of tranquility and also the expectation that a quay always holds. It suggests both departure and arrival, depending on your direction, and I liked th way it was framed by the trees. A peaceful picture of a peaceful moment in time.

Location: Butrint, Albania

Well-dressed Bin

It's always pleasing to come across pieces of street furniture that make that little extra bit of effort to stand out. Here something as mundane as a rubbish bin (or trasj can if you are American) is turned into a "cup butler" no less! And as well as being rather fun it's a clever ploy –for by "humanising" the bin –giving it hands and a bow-tie– it probably has greater effect! It may not have the added feature of a bin I once came across in Washington DC that UTTERED "Thank you!" everytime you deposited a bit of rubbish, but this is surely the most smartly dressed bin around...?

Location: Berlin, Germany

Reflections in Puddles

I have found that one of the most exciting and interesting times totake pictures is after it has rained. Water on stone surfaces reflects light in fascinating ways, often creating patterns and colours that are not seen when it is dry. And I am particularly attracted to puddles or pools of rainwater because they can suddenly become exciting paintings, framed by their own circumference, reflecting wild sunsets or humdrum buildings and forcing you to look at the world from a slightly different angle. Here puddles in a car-park reflect the facade of nearby buildings but seem almost to create new little worlds of their own, like portals into the deep.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Iconic Railway Clock

Tonight the clocks go forward, marking the start of summer time, so I'm posting another picture of a Joyce railway clock -and this one is particularly iconic because it featured in my favourite film of all time: "Brief Encounter"– which was filmed largely on this railway station in the northwest of England. The clock, originally from 1895, was lovingly restored and reassembled piece by piece in 2002 after bits of its original features had been removed and dispersed accross England over the years In 2020 the clock was temporarily removed for further restoration prior to the 75th anniversary of the release of "Brief Encounter". I took this picture a few years ago when I had the chance to visit the station and its excellent exhibition devoted to the film, and also enjoy the hospitality of the equally iconic refreshment room seen straight ahead... "Cake or pastry?" anyone?

Location: Carnforth, England

Street Clock

Built to mark the completion of the harbour extension in 1878, this fine clock turret (made by Joyce of Whitchurch) stands in Station Approach of Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey. Joyce was famous for its railway clocks which were an essential feature of so many stations. When it was built not everyone had a watch of their own and approaching this clock tower from any of four sides gave you immediate notice of whether you would have to hurry for your train or had a minute or two to spare. It's boldly ornate in a decorative Victorian style that may be regarded as a little overdone by today's standards, but which certainly stands out. It was originally surrounded by bollards and a bar preventing people from climbing it, but now it's left to itself atop a paved mound. Holyhead is the end of the line for trains in Wales -from here passengers embark and head for the nearby harbour to catch boats to Ireland, so this is a good opportunity to check the time -and because it's a Joyce clock, you can be assured that it is accurate!

Location: Holyhead, Angelsey, Wales

Night Train

An empty train waiting to depart at Paddington Station late one night. Nothing special about that, except that Paddington, of all London stations, is always a thrill to visit –a true and vast cathedral to rail travel. And it's so spacious that one never feels crowded there, except perhaps when busy commuter trains spill out their passengers of a morning. At night, it's quieter (but never still) and in places a little bit ghostly, but I love to walk along the platforms and imagine the many destinations the trains standing there will pass through. The lighting is alluring -in places, such as against the huge curved ceilings it is blue, like a nightclub. You only see a tiny bit of it here, but I like this picture because it seems to catch something of the essence of what makes train stations so alluring and romantic (at least for me!) I like the variety of lines and the mix of light and shadow and particularly the long stretch of windows along the sleek side of the empty train. All aboard!

Location: London, England

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 17

With a long-lasting cold spell having settled over Northern Europe, it is inevitable that gloves and mittens are once again taken out and used on a daily basis. Inevitably too, as in winter past, some of them will stay outside, finding their way to branches of trees, the top of posts or the spiked railings of the witer city. Here a bright but lonely mitten keeps guard –or perhaps looks out for its companion. At least the railing is kept warm!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Board Among the Rocks

Though I intensely disapprove of littering and irresponsible discarding of rubbish, some objects of waste can be surprsingly captivating -such as this unwanted piece of wooden boarding lodged among rocks on a Greek shore. Perhaps it washed up from the sea, who knows, but there must be a story behind it –the broken board with its flaking paint, at least three colours, gives the effect of a map or a piece of modern art, and somehow blends in with the naturally created patterns and colours of the rocks and the swirling water. It is an example of how the seemingly mundane can appear dramatic; how everyday objects can take on a strange beauty.

Location: Samos, Greece

Old Level Crossing

This is a level crossing on the Mid Norfolk Railway –now a heritage line, but formally an important local rail route through the heart of Norfolk.Sometimes freight is still transported on this line, but more often than not it's vintage trains run by ethusiasts that roll down these tracks. Most of the time however the gate is closed, as here. I like the criss-cross effect of the various lines and the geometric shapes that are created by the old-school level crossing, and the contrasts work particularly well in silvertone –which also echoes something of the history behind the motive –which for me admittedly (as with anything to do with trains and railways) always remains romantic.

Location: East Dereham, England

Airplane and Sunset

I just heard today that the airline Norwegian has decided to cut out its long-distance operations due to the ongoing economic and travel difficulties connected to covid-19. I suspect they will not be the last airline to have to resort to such measures. I have flown with Norwegian numerous times and have many friends who work for the company. In my case, most of my travel has been with them has been within Europe, and I am happy that the airline will continue with this side of its operation. Though there has been precious little international travel for me this last year I hope very much to resume discovering the world "when this thing is over" and one of the places I shall definietly return to when things are brighter is Berlin. But there too, changes have occured –such as the opening of the new airport, which I assume will be where I land next time I return –and not at Schönefeld, depicted here, which has closed for good, though parts of it are incorporated into the new Berlin Brandenburg airport. So it's kind of a historical picture, but I'm posting it mainly because of the Norwegian news and because I'm travel sick and because I'll never forget the magnificent sky we took off into on my last flight form Berlin. You can see some of it here as the Norwegian Boeing 737 is boarding. Though primarily a "train" person, there is often something equally exciting about a plane getting ready to depart. Let's hope we'll all be travelling again soon, one way or another.

Location: Berlin, Germany

Street Scene at Sunset

After a long spell of absense I have returned! The world has changed much for us all since I last posted, but life goes on, and soon Christmas will be upon us. Therefore, I've chosen a somehat festive photograph of my local neighbourhood as my first post for a while; a street scene and a sunset. Plenty more to follow!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Waiting for a Train...

Like everyone else, I'm longing for things to return to normal in these strange, unprecedented times. I long to get out and about travelling again, socialising, visiting interesting places and discovering the odd and wonderful and taking photographs. I've taken all sorts of pictures right through this pandemic, more close to home, but I've been very lax in posting any here. So I thought it was about time I offered at least one picture, if only to demonstrate that I am still alive and kicking... unlike (perhaps) these boots –which moonlight as novel flowerpots next to a stretch of the mid-Norfolk Railway. Standing as if in anticipation of an arriving train (you can almost see one of the toes tapping impatiently) they at least put a smile on my face when I spotted them last year.

Location: Wymondham, England

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 16

Winter may be all but over, but in these corona-virus times perhaps the most sensible piece of clothing one can wear is a pair of gloves, no matter what the temperature is. If you don't have a pair of gloves of your own there are plenty of individual gloves out there, draped over hedges, stuck on posts or –in the Norwegian tradition: hanging on trees! Here's a beautiful example of a blooming Norwegian glove, happily residing on a branch with the top of the famous Holmenkollen ski-jump in the background. Stay safe, people, and don't lose your gloves at this time.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Winter sun

With the sun low in the sky during much of the winter (at least here in Oslo) one sometimes experiences almost blinding dazzledness (–or dazzling blindness?) when the shafts of sunlight sweep down city streets. Here the sun catches the otherwise humdrum wooden boardings around a building under renovation, creating a wonderful golden wall that has a kind of magic quality to it. On an cold day like the one the picture was taken, this glow gives a kind of warmth –at least inside; and walking along the boarding becomes an exalted experience!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Train Departure

The Amtrak train leaves the Main Street station of Richmond on a damp autumn afternoon, crawling like a segmented snake into the mist. Above, a bewildering mass of wires, cables and lines. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my greatest passions is trains and travelling on them. They can sometimes be elusive things to capture interestingly in a photograph though. What I liked here was the fact that we see so much of the train because the track is curved at this point and each carriage (or car, if you prefer) is shown at a slightly different angle to the next one, giving the picture a more interesting slant. The man about to cross the tracks gives the picture a human dimension, contrasting with the frightening technological aspect of the lines and cables above.

Location: Richmond, Virginia, USA

AutumnGate

It's autumn and as I write snow has started to fall. But in this picture there is merely a frost, sprinkling the fallen leaves with a white, crisp powder. The sun hangs low but bright in the sky, creating some theatrical effects. But here it's the gate that is in focus. Quite often, gates look imposing and even threatening when closed, but these ones, though simple and rather grimy, seem quite benign.Perhaps it's the glint of sun that gives some of the slats an almost magical edge or the graceful curve of the gate's top. Somehow it seems to be inviting us in –or should that perhaps be: luring us in?!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Civil War Graves

Sometimes, I feel commenting on a picture is unnecessary because an image is perfectly capable of speaking for itself. And such is the case here.

Location: Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 15

Yes, with autumn now upon us and temperatures dropping daily like the leaves from the trees, we once again come across single gloves and mittens that have taken upon themselves to wander freely, away from their owners, to seek a better (or at least different) existence in parks, on benches and at street corners. This rather dirty specimen has at least found a place in the sun...

Location: Oslo, Norway

Blue Reflection

I like buildings that are not afraid to be bold with colour. Just because the material is conventional and the form functional, there is no need for greyness –which is sadly the default "colour" of so many modern structures. This particular building is a sports hall, and its setting by a large pond gives its colour the opportunity to reflect marvellously in the water, creating an exciting, vibrant, even slightly unreal look to what could so easily be a humdrum setting. The blue of the building and sky is nicely complimented by the green grass and water plants, and only a tiny splash of red (the sign) breaks the two-colour scheme. Just coming across something like this made me feel good; for all I know, that was its function. It certainly makes for a rather nice photograph, which is why I'm posting it here!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Summer Sky Ices

It's hot all over Europe at the moment and ice-cream vans like this are doing brisk business on promenades and beaches and in parks across the continent. Though taken at the seaside, this picture is from a colder season –a sharp winter's day on the coast of England. I found it somehow cheering to see the ice-cream van, even though it was parked and empty, resting before its big period of activity later in the year. the name of the van is optimistic –skies in England can be many things, even in the summer. Yet here, the clouds were rather beautiful, and though the day was chilly and the air sharp, it was an uplifting experience to be at the seaside.

Location: Lowestoft, England

Brick Buildings

The late afternoon sun strikes warm rays against these fabulous brick facades in Lübeck. Unlike the facades of many other buildings in Germany these do not seem at all intimidating, even though they loom high over the lowly pedestrian. As well as the fabulous colour I like the way the picture is divided into a man-made part (the buildings) and a natural part (the sky). Also, the warmth of a particular moment in time seems to have been captured well here.

Location: Lübeck, Germany

Cairn and Snow

I know it's summer and our thoughts may well be focused on sunshine and beaches and warm waves. Mine often turn to the mountains though; an unexpected adventure at any time of the year. Here's a cairn somewhere on a trail in the mountain area of my beloved Valdres. The red "T" is not some indiscriminate tag or unfinished line of graffiti but the marker of the Norwegian Tourist Association, to show you're on the right trail –always something of a relief to see when you're out walking. And cairns have always fascinated me. I find myself wondering who on earth placed the first big stones, when, and how. I always add one of my own, but much more modest in size as walking is quite enough exercise thank you without risking getting a hernia from heavy lifting! The snow is an optional feature of any trip to the mountains; a mere sprinkling like this is more quaint than vexing.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Tower Bridge

This is probably not only the most photographed bridge in the world, but one of the most photographed man-made motives of any kind, and no prizes for guessing that we are in London. For some reason, many people insist on calling this London Bridge –for few things symbolise London more (well.. Big ben, The London Eye, Nelson's Column...). BUT, of course this label is wrong; for this is TOWER Bridge –named for its proximity to the Tower of London and for its two distinctive towers. It's one of the most distinctive bridges anywhere and it was a true delight to fulfil recently a little dream I've had of walking across it. But it's perhaps best seen from a distance from the one of the riverbanks, and if you're very lucky you might see it with the two halves of the bridge's road raised. Here, however, I have captured the bridge –as I try to do with all London bridges– with a bright red double-decker smack in the middle! On a purely technical level I realize I should have captured more of the sky above the bridge to make this picture more balanced, but sadly I was too awe-struck by the sight of the bridge itself that all my composition knowledge went for a burton. Sorry!

Location: London, England

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 14

Yet another glove takes an unapproved vacation, and this one finds a spot in the sun to stretch out and soak in the warmth of summer...

Location: Oslo, Norway

Flowers in the Park

It's time for some colour. Spring, though late arriving, has rapidly blossomed all over in recent weeks and it's always an exciting time to photograph the new life that appears in flowerbeds throughout the city. Here, we're down low, almost at ground level to appreciate these blooms in Oslo's magnificent Frogner Park.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Postboxes and Creature

I have posted pictures of mailboxes here before. I have even posted pictures of Danish mailboxes before. But I have never posted one that includes a crocodile -or is that some kind of other creature down there? (Incidentally, being British, I'd usually call them postboxes but then there would have been too many "posts" in my first sentence. Whatever. The boxes are cute even though they've been desecrated with inane graffiti. I hope the creature, whatever it is, bit the perpetrators sharply on their shins. I never found what exactly it doing there, but I am very fond of idiosyncratic little bits of street furniture like this.

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Remembering Notre Dame

Like most people, I too was horrified and saddened to see Notre Dame cathedral go up in flames earlier this week. I am glad that the damage done by the fire is less than first feared and that the magnificent cathedral will rise again. I have fond memories of visiting Notre Dame on my first visit to Paris back in 1984 –in fact it was the very first place I visited when I arrived. I was travelling about Europe on Interrail, excitedly discovering countries and cities and the wonders of the continent for the first time. My camera back then was a Kodak Ektralite 600 which I had received for my fifteenth birthday two years before and which I happily snapped away at on my travels. I didn't really know much about photography back then, otherwise I would of course have centred my picture of Notre Dame properly. I can only think I wanted to get the people in the foreground in, or perhaps the motorbike with its GB sticker on (I was not the only English person in Paris, it seems). I do remember being blown away by the cathedral, which I up until then knew only from films, and awe-struck by its beautiful stained-glass windows and hushed interior. I hope to be able to return one day, for I am certain the cathedral will rise again. When that happens I will photograph it again, more professionally and with more understanding of composition, but no less awe than when I first saw it at the age of 17.

Location: Paris, France

Spring Awakening

It's so nice to see a smiling, happy statue, but maybe that's a result of the joy of spring.Here we are in the grounds of the Kurfürstliches Palais (Electoral Palace) in Trier with the distinctive and ornate pink Hochschloss visible in the background, and beyond that the Basilica of Constantine. But the statue is the main subject of the picture. I don't know its history but it is one of many similar statues to be found in the beautifully kept grounds. Something about the expression on its face and the openness of its stance seem to say "welcome, and rejoice". I chose placing the statue to the side of the picture both to avoid conventional centring and so as to include the beautiful central facade beyond –without it dominating too much. The clouds are moody but the sky is blue, the grass green and all is well with the world.

Location: Trier, Germany

Letterboxes

With so much regulated conformity around us it is always nice to discover uniqueness –not everything has to be the same. These letterboxes could so easily have all been exactly the same, neatly lined along the wall, probably looking like the first box on the extreme left -efficient, practical, neutral but rather bland. Instead, we have here such variety that hardly two boxes are the same; each seems to have a distinctive personality, which is what gives the picture interest. We might like to speculate about the owners of the various boxes, what kind of personalities they have, and whether they correspond to the appearance of their post boxes. Other than that, there's something ordinary and urban about this photograph that I quite like; plus its harmonious diversity

Location: Oslo, Norway

City Skyline

It's been a while since I was last in Chicago so the city skyline has probably changed a little since this picture was taken –buildings tend to grow higher and smarter all the time, but what I like about them is that they are all different, all unique, yet stacked together they create a uniform identity which I suppose could be said to embody the city itself. Here the sky is typically a little moody, the air chilly, but there's a determined sort of resilience about the view -here work and life is taking place behind a thousand windows. In the foreground are the trains, waiting moving -you can almost hear their bells and clatter. And beyond: the city beckons...

Location: Chicago, USA

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 13

Winter seems now to be over for another year and spring is almost upon us. But just before the snow melted I came across yet another glove that had gone AWOL and found its way to the top of a post, where it quickly became covered with snow. At least it had itself to keep warm!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Sunset on the Beach

The sun sets on the pebbled beach where fishing boats and fishing nets linger in the golden light. I especially like the way the late sunlight here transforms the net from a a mere untidy mass of tangled line into an object of some beauty and, perhaps, mystery. It becomes almost like some weird sea creature that has been washed up. I also like the way the jetty breaks the background sea and sky, and most of all I like the warm atmosphere –a moment captured before the sun dips for beneath the waves and darkness falls.

Location: Hastings, England

Lunch for Two

Things that look similar or identical are often fascinating subjects for a photograph; people too, which is why twins invariable work well in pictures, whatever the circumstances. Whether these two workmen on their lunch-break are twins is unclear, but they could certainly be brothers; there's something tremendously satisfying about the similarity of their posture, the identical plastic bags between their legs and the same Hi-Vis vests. The location is, of course, the base of the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus -itself probably the most photographed spot in London. Against the dark base these two light up, enjoying a few minutes repose before returning to work. I liked the sense of "moment" and the somehow rather sweet pairing.

Location: London, England

Going to Seed

Spring has yet to appear in Norway; there's probably a good month or two of winter left here, but that's no reason not to start thinking ahead, to when all the seeds one planted last year may (or may) not appear as buds in the garden. Or to think about what quick-growing vegetables to sew when the snow melts. All this is purely academic as I do not even have a garden, just a little balcony, but I am nevertheless fascinated by seeds and anything that grows. And I loved the sight of this display in a local florist's backroom. The order and colour and excitement of such a confrontation is infectious, inspiring, and unlike similar displays of –for instance– sweets, everything here looks gorgeously healthy! I felt it was an interesting image (or series of images) to capture, and I particularly liked it that there are four empty slots in the shelves –breaking the perfection just a little.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Southbank

Big Ben is currently surrounded by scaffolding and undergoing necessary repairs, but this picture is from before the time when this work started and thus the palace of Westminster is uncluttered and Big Ben itself magnificent and proud in the early evening. We're on London's Southbank looking across the Thames. I've always adored the ornate lampposts that line the embankment on each side of the river. Here they have not yet been lit and are in the shade of the overhanging bridge so the decorative dolphins that enwrap each post cannot be seen but they are as much a part of London's landscape as Big Ben itself. I just liked this picture because it captured for me a moment and a mood and so much of what makes me love London.

Location: London, England

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 12

Yes, the gloves and mittens continue to go AWOL, especially now that winter has taken a firm grip. Here, a musically-minded glove crawls slowly towards the entrance of Oslo's opera house, perhaps to take in a performance. Interestingly, this is not a traditional opera glove, for they are generally longer and worn by ladies almost up to the elbow; what we have here is something far less elegant, but who said that even the lowliest of glove should not enjoy opera. There's a story here somewhere, but that's for someone else to write. meanwhile, the glove edges closer to the door and the wonderful, magical world inside...

Location: Oslo, Norway

Dutch Letter Box

As I have mentioned before I am always fascinated by the uniqueness of a country's essential street furniture –telephone boxes, lamps, signs; all proud ambassadors of their country's image, icons of each nation if you like. Letter boxes (or mail boxes if you prefer) belong to this group. They are all seemingly unique to their country in design and colour. Here's one from Holland –perhaps not the most imaginative or most beautiful of post boxes but perfectly functional nonetheless. I'm in two minds whether I can see a face here too. The dual openings for letters certainly suggest eyes and perhaps if one regards the little white sticker as a moustache and the keyhole as a pursed up little mouth there is something approaching a wide, sagacious entity. Otherwise I just like the ordinariness of such day-to-day objects that we often pass by without giving a second thought.

Location: Amsterdam, Holland

Quayside

Ice, though frequently treacherous to navigate or cross, often creates interesting textures to photograph, capturing and reflecting light in a more fractured way than still water of puddles, which The ice seen here probably started as. Here I was struck by the vertical and horizontal lines of the gates and fencing. The ship in the background suggests an invitation to get away, and the clear sky gives a promise of plain sailing. I like the stark ordinariness of the picture, taken late-afternoon on a winter's day.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 11

With the return of winter comes the return of those freedom-craving mittens and gloves out on a spree. Once more they appear –almost always solitary– in the oddest places, but most often on trees, posts, benches, fences... Like cats they clearly like to be high up. Here a mitten strikes a decidedly defensive pose, or is it conducting events below? Its partner has long disappeared so maybe it is praying for its return? Who knows just what these stray mittens think!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Window Shopping

Christmas is a-coming and day by day more and more windows take on a festive look. I've just completed doing my own decorating at home because I like to be as early and capture the Christmas mood in my own surroundings before being bombarded by it everywhere else. This year though will be a little different as I will be spending Christmas is hospital, most of December too; so it has been doubly important for me to have a little Christmas at home first.I wish that part of that involved eating my way through the many gorgeous-looking cakes displayed here. I was struck by the daintiness and the colours and the sparkling silver branch; the collection was somehow exciting, appealing and because nothing is really symmetrical or rigidly formal (which so many other window displays often are), there is a carefree lightness to the picture that I find rather infectious.There is a little bit of everything here, and that, to my mind, is just how Christmas should be!

Location: Norwich, England

Imposing Building

I'm in two mind about this building –a townhouse in Nuremberg. On the one hand, I admire its individual features, such as the rounded glass of the window panes and the unusual turret, while on the other hand I find it a little ... well, intimidating; a bit imposing and mysterious. Perhaps this is as much due to the angle I have taken the picture –from below– as anything else. Or maybe, seen with "another" eye the whole facade seems to have something of a "Transformers" personality –the turret becoming a head and its upper floors the wide shoulders of some robotic creature. I don't know anything of the history of the building, but it does intrigue me –like all buildings of personality and character. Yet would I live here? Perhaps not. I'd happily have some of those windows though.

Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Police Post

Here's quite an interesting piece of street furniture that I came across in London. I don't know if it's the only one of it's kind, but it's a post or bollard marking the site of a former police station, in this case the one in Gerald Road near Victoria. The garage doors behind were once those of the station. First opened in 1846, the police station closed in 1993 when the new Belgravia station was built. It is now a private residence. But at least a couple of reminders of its law enforcement past remain, including a blue plaque and a (once) blue lamp of the kind traditionally found above the entrances to police stations. But te real treat is this little constable –no more than a foot in height. I have taken the photograph from below deliberately because I felt it suited the authority of the memorial, but many people probably pass it without realising what it is. Some wit has drawn eyes and a mouth on the formerly blank silver face, but they've got the expression spot on. He seems to be regarding the world with a certain grim suspicion, enough to induce apprehension in any potential wrongdoers, but there's also a solidness to him that inspires trust.Even though he has no arms! I love quirky little things like this that one finds on the streets of cities around the world.

Location: London, England

Quayside Sunset

The long, long hot summer seems to be drawing to a close, and though there are no doubt many warm days and evenings still ahead before autumn and winter sets in, the harsh and scorching heat of a couple of weeks ago have mostly abated. For many, the cooler days are very welcome, as is the rain that has started to pour over Oslo more regularly again –like in a "normal" summer. But no one can take away the beauty and mellow peacefulness of late-summer evenings and the sun dipping down beyond the fjord. This is one of my favourite places in Oslo to go for walks and bike rides –along the long quayside that sticks out into the bay and then circles around the castle on the other side, creating one continuous path. Here, a cruise ship is just about to depart in the distance having spent the day in Oslo. Usually along here you'll find dozens of people with fishing rods; some of them may be obscured by the shadows. Otherwise, it's usually a peaceful place -close to the city yet away from its noise and bustle. I took this picture as a snapshot while out biking, so though it's not perfect, I felt it captured very much the mood of a moment; a summer evening moment!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Summer

This summer seems to go on and on like those summers of childhood that stretched into infinity. The heat has taken its toll, but as I write there is finally a little rain –which is more than refreshing. In the countryside much of what is usually green at this time of the year is pale and yellow, the vegetation dried out by weeks of sun. However, in the lakes and ponds that are dotted around in the forests surrounding Oslo, there is verdant life. These water plants seem impossibly green, almost as if they have been artificially fabricated. Against the dark blue of the water they form an attractive pattern and may be welcome rafts for insects in need of a rest. The water is probably delightful to bathe in, though on this occasion I was happy just to photograph.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Le Tour Underway!

I should have posted this one a few days ago when my favourite sporting event of the year –Le Tour de France– started, but like some of the riders, I am a little behind. However, there are three whole weeks of cycling to enjoy. Conditions in France are, of course, nothing like as severe as seen here, and (surprise, surprise) this picture is not from this week but some months ago when snow covered our city for weeks and weeks and only the brave took to cycling –skiing was much more practical. But I liked the image of the bicycle in the snow enough to keep it "on ice" until now. With our current heatwave it is almost refreshing to see a picture that has a winter theme, n'est pas? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the thrill of the Tour as much as I am, and may your bicycle always be there for you when you need it!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Italian Gardens

Right at the north end of Kensington Gardens in London you'll find this fabulous feature, an Italian Garden in the heart of London. You may be heading deeper into the park but it is tempting to stop here and go no further for though just moments away from a busy road you are in tranquil surroundings and feel yourself somehow stepping back in time as you walk around these beds and basins. The gradens were originally set out in the 1860s by Prince Albert, designed by James Pennethorne and based on the gardens at Osborune House on the Isle of Wight. The gardens were fully restored in 2011. This picture is taken towards the end of spring, early one morning when I had an hour to kill after leaving my hotel and before my onward connection left. I stumbled quite by accident into the park and was enchanted by its genteel beauty. Later, there would no doubt be more colour in the flowerbeds but the grass was green and the sound of the fountains mixed with an impressive amount of birdsong were ample substitutes. I tried to capture the atmosphere of slightly heightened wonder and magical mystery that I experienced here; the big dark trees on the left seem to have turned their backs on the serenity below, yet they too form part of the whole. Essentially, I find the image a very peaceful one.

Location: London, England

Summer Idyll

Summer time in the countryside; is there anything nicer? the bees are buzzing, flowers are blooming, the sky is blue and the cows are ...mooing? Well, maybe not the latter; they seem to be doing what they do best –chewing and staring. They're up here for the summer to graze so for them too it's a kind of holiday, even though they are milked daily. Here I was eager to "frame" the cows between the gate posts and capture a little bit of everything that makes me love the Norwegian countryside in summer –the colours, the trees, the clouds. I wish I could have captured the sound too (almost, but not quite, silence) and the many smells, but these you will have to imagine. Perhaps the picture at least helps evoke a feeling –of peace, summer and idyllic days in the country.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Samosian Sunrise

Everyone loves a good sunset and there are thousands or probably millions of photographs that have captured them in some way –I've taken a few hundred myself. But sunrises are a little different, a little rarer. This is because whilst everyone is up and around to enjoy the sight of the sun going down, relatively few are up early enough to see it rise –except at certain times of year up here in the north when it doesn't seem to rise until the afternoon, if at all. But sunrises have a double beauty to them. There is the uplifting sight of unfolding light illuminating and warming the shadows of the night, and then there is the tranquility of the atmosphere –the lack of people, noise, activity. Somehow this makes it easier to really appreciate a good sunrise than a good sunset; and its glory is a sort of special prize give to you for getting up so early. I can no longer remember why I was up so early in this particular instance, but there may have been no reason at all –other than just being out and about before the world has woken up. The picture is from the Greek island of Samos and the sun has just risen above the hills behind the trees. The trees block off much of the light but the sun, even at this early hour, is too strong and pushes its golden rays through the branches and onto the clean cobblestones by the harbour, creating a yellow-brick road that has a magical quality to it. Ten minutes later, five minutes, the scene had changed, so I was happy to have captured this moment of gleaming splendour before the hot Greek sun washed everything into harsh whiteness.

Location: Pythagoreio -Samos, Greece